You Can Call Me David
by MsAlexisCriss
Summary: Unlike his husband Blaine, Kurt doesn't believe in ghosts or anything related to the paranormal. One day, after they receive the "all clear" to start rehearsing their opera prima in one of New York's most famous theaters, Kurt has a very strange and creepy encounter with a man who could be or not the first owner of the theater…David Belasco.


**It's Halloween so here's a very short paranormal story. I've had this story stuck in my head since the Hedwig era, so I think it's time to let it see the light. I had a very different idea for the "paranormal" stuff of this fic, but since I know that many of you are not into this kind of stuff I decided to make it super light, so its completely PG-rated. Seriously, I think that Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is scarier than this XD**

 **Anyway, the summary kind of says everything about the fic, so I won't try to explain it better than that. This is just a short klaine story with ghosts and horror movies. It takes place at the Belasco Theater, and although there are tons of stories about haunted theaters in new York City, I decided to use the one we are all familiar with. However there's nothing to worry about. I'm referring to this story as "paranormal" because there's a ghost, but it's mainly a Halloween-related kind of story.**

 **Btw, this is unbeta'd so I apologize for any mistakes ;)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

There is a time in every person's life when they have to face something that is beyond their comprehension. Sometimes it happens when you're young, sometimes when you're older. But life has a way of showing you that what you thought was impossible can actually happen. Ghosts are a good example of this, it doesn't matter if you believe in them or not—if they are there, they are there.

 **Chapter 1**

It was midnight. The streets of New York City grew silent as the citizens, one by one, turned off their lights and went to bed for their well-earned rest. At that time of the year the nights in the big old city were always pitch dark, and the wind whispered softly, touching the trees and houses, rattling window panes here and there. October was the perfect month for horror movies, or so Kurt liked to say, despite his husband's complains.

It was not a secret that Kurt loved horror movies while Blaine, his husband, hated them. And since Halloween was near, Kurt wanted to get into the spooky spirit by watching all the collection of horror classics that Netflix had.

"Remind me again, why are we watching this?" Blaine asked, from under the blanket that Kurt had placed over them to keep them warm.

"Because we have to get into the Halloween spirit, honey." Kurt replied, not tearing his eyes away from the TV.

"We decorated the apartment, we bought matching costumes, we «are» already in the spirit, Kurt." Blaine said, not really understanding his husband's fascination for horror films. Halloween was fun, _but this?_ This wasn't. It was scary and boring, besides, it was not as if those films were Oscar worthy films. The plots were bad to say the least and they all used the same musical effects.

"It's not enough, honey. We need this." Kurt said, laughing a little. He knew why his husband was complaining.

"No, we don't." Blaine replied, still somewhere under the blanket.

"I don't know why you're still complaining. It's not like you're actually watching it. You've spent the whole time hidden under the blanket." Kurt pointed out.

"I have not." Blaine said in self defense, poking his head from under the blanket. "Besides, my ears work perfectly fine, so I know what's happening."

"Fair enough…" Kurt replied, trying not to laugh at his husband's silliness. He knew Blaine didn't like horror movies, but he also knew that the movie that they were watching was not that scary. Actually, if Kurt was completely honest, it was a little bland and very predictable. "But this one is not so bad, I mean...maybe try to watch it and you'll see that it's not that terrifying."

"Fine…" Blaine said. Because he would do anything for Kurt, even watch those horror movies that he hated so much.

However half an hour later, Blaine finally stood up and gave up. He loved Kurt very, very much, but this was way beyond him. He really hated those movies, they made him feel anxious, and although Kurt kept repeating that _'nothing was real,'_ that it was _'just a movie,'_ Blaine believed otherwise. Maybe the movie was, indeed, just fantasy, but he did believe in paranormal stuff. He had always believed.

"I can't keep watching this, Kurt." He said.

"Oh, come on! It's not that bad."

"Maybe for you it isn't, but you know I don't like these movies." He said, already walking away from the living room.

"Don't go, honey. Come here," Kurt said, opening his arms to welcome Blaine, "I can protect you." He said, knowing beforehand that Blaine was running away just because he was scared.

"I don't need you to protect me, I'm fine. I just don't want to keep watching this." Blaine snapped. "I'm going to bed." He added, walking away.

Kurt burst out laughing. He couldn't understand how a man like Blaine, who was so brave and confident, was at the same time so scared of ghost stories if for starters, ghosts didn't even exist. Kurt was sure that all those paranormal stories were the product of someone's imagination. People tended to invent remarkable stuff when they clung to keep in touch with their deceased loved ones, but Kurt was sure that none of that nonsense was real.

"I can hear you, Kurt." Blaine shouted from the room. Kurt was still in hysterics. "And it's not funny."

Kurt didn't reply and just kept laughing in silence because for him it was very, very funny. He couldn't help it, his grown-up husband was a chicken when it came to horror movies.

o-o-o-o-o

When Kurt calmed down a bit, he went to the room and found Blaine curled up on his side of the bed. The lights were on and by the way he was breathing Kurt knew his husband was still awake.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, leaning over to give Blaine a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"No, you're are not." Blaine muttered.

"I am…" Kurt said, lying down next to Blaine. "I shouldn't have laughed."

Blaine, very slowly, turned around and faced him.

"Sorry for laughing." Kurt said, smiling at his husband.

"But you're not sorry for making me watch that movie."

"For that too."

Blaine smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "I forgive you."

"Thanks." Kurt said, smiling at Blaine and standing up to put on his pajamas. "You know?" Kurt said as he changed. "I don't know why these movies scare you so much. Didn't you have analysis class in NYU? I remember that once Elliott mentioned that the movies to analyze per excellence there were horror movies."

"And they still are, or that's what I heard. But it's not because of the movie. The plots are bad and let's not talk about the music because it's the same recipe for, literally, every movie ever, but I can't help but get involved in the story and…" He trailed off.

"And you're afraid of the paranormal...I get it." Kurt said, getting into bed. "But you're just scared because you believe, if you didn't, then none of this would happen."

"Well, I cannot not believe. You know what happened when Coop and I were younger…"

"Are you completely sure it was not one of Cooper's pranks?"

"Positive...he didn't plan anything. In fact, never tell him I told you this, but he's more afraid of those movies than me. I, at least, try to watch them, but he just can't. Try it one day and you'll see." Blaine said, snuggling closer to Kurt.

"You have to stop believing in that stuff, honey." Kurt said, playing with Blaine's hair.

"Perhaps...or perhaps you have to start believing in that stuff."

Kurt rolled his eyes because that was impossible, in his twenty something years of life, he had never, ever, experienced something that could be called _'paranormal.'_ The closest thing to a horror movie experience he had had was believing that he had lost Blaine, when the latter had started dating his worst nightmare, but fortunately for everyone that disastrous relationship had ended and now they were happily married.

"I can't believe in ghosts, Blaine. They don't exist."

"I'm not asking you to believe in the white spectrum-type of ghosts you get in stories, but what if ghosts are something else? Like memories that somehow got caught and trapped in time? You have to admit that weird stuff happens in this world. Stuff that we can't explain."

Kurt decided not to reply. He didn't want to start arguing with Blaine about something so stupid. He respected Blaine's beliefs and he wasn't going to question him about them. "Let's agree to disagree on this one, okay? I know you believe and I'll always respect that. I'm sorry for making you watch that movie with me...it won't happen again."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Kurt said, extending his arm to turn off the lights.

"No, wait!" Blaine exclaimed.

"What?"

"Can we leave the lights on?"

"Seriously?" Kurt questioned, not quite believing what his husband was requesting, but Blaine was nodding frantically. He was serious about it.

"Fine...but, what are you going to do when our future kids have a nightmare and ask for you at night after watching a horror movie, huh?"

"They will have you…" Blaine said, smiling. "You'll sleep next to them, like you're doing it with me right now."

"You are impossible…" Kurt admitted, "but I love you." He added, hugging Blaine tightly and helping him to sleep.

o-o-o-o-o

A couple of days later Kurt was in their bedroom answering some emails when Blaine, as per usual, entered the room yelling without knocking the door and scaring Kurt to death.

"Kurt! Kurt! Guess what?"

"Jesus, Blaine!" Kurt said, jumping scared. "You're going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing this. How many times do I have to tell you? Knock the damn door! What happened this time?"

"We got the theater!" Blaine exclaimed, ignoring Kurt's rolling eyes and instead, giving him the biggest of the smiles.

"We-we…" Kurt trailed off, closing his laptop. "Are you serious?"

Blaine gave him some _'of course I'm serious'_ eyes and nodded frantically.

"Oh, my God, Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, giving his husband a bone-crushing hug. The incident with the door now completely forgotten.

Since Kurt and Blaine had graduated from NYADA and NYU respectively, they had been trying to make it big on the Broadway industry. They both had had some small roles in some off-Broadway productions, but their real dream was to perform one of their original plays in a real Broadway stage.

Almost a year ago, Blaine, during one of his many sleepless nights, had had a sudden boost of creativity and had written the book, music and lyrics of St. Elmo's fire: the musical—his opera prima, which was based on the not-so-successful St. Elmo's fire movie. The next morning when Kurt had read the whole thing, he had immediately known that he was witnessing the start of a very long and successful career for both of them, since Blaine had written the whole story based on a single character for Kurt to act. There had been no doubt that they would be the perfect Broadway team.

Some months later, and thanks to Kurt's connections, the ones he had gotten from NYADA, they could present their idea to some important people in the industry who had promised to help them make their dreams come true. Weeks after that, Blaine had opened auditions, they had hired the company and had started rehearsals in some old studios down in TriBeCa. Two weeks ago, one of the executives with whom they had met, had called Blaine to inform him about the progress, sharing with him that they were about to close negotiations for a small theater.

Kurt had thought that getting the theater was going to take them at least another year, but apparently he had been wrong.

"Simon just called and he said that they got the Belasco Theater!" Blaine shared the news. "St. Elmo's fire will debut in the Belasco, Kurt! We did it!"

"Oh, my God, Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, mirroring his husband's enthusiasm. "I can't believe it! We did it!" He said, hugging his husband and jumping up and down with glee.

"I have to call the rest of the company! They'll be relieved to know that we will no longer rehearse in that filthy studio. Simon said that we could start rehearsing in the theater next week! They want the opening night to be this January!"

"Oh my God." Kurt said again. Apparently, those were the only words that came from his mouth at the moment. He still couldn't believe that what his husband was saying was true. But it was, in a couple of months he would be debuting in his first leading role in a Broadway production. A Broadway production written and directed by none other than his creative, handsome and extremely talented husband.

"Are you sure you just want to direct your show? I mean, this is big, Blaine. We could alternate the main role and stuff."

"No, I wrote that role for you. I don't want anyone else as Kevin. That role is for you, that's why instead of six main roles I wrote everything from Kevin's perspective. I want the world to see the talented husband I have."

Kurt smiled warmly and kissed Blaine quickly on the lips. "Then I'll do my best because I want the world to love the show that my equally talented husband wrote."

o-o-o-o-o

Unbelievable but true, a week later, Kurt was actually rehearsing at the Belasco Theater with the entire company. They were exhausted after hours of rehearsing, but Blaine's enthusiasm whenever he marked a certain scene or changed the previously rehearsed movements to adapt to the stage, was so contagious that everyone was giving more of their one hundred percent to fulfill their director's expectations.

"That was terrific, guys!" Blaine exclaimed when they wrapped the last song of the show. The music was yet not live, but they had been using Blaine's demos and it had been amazing.

"The band will be here next week, so the rehearsals are just going to improve. Well done, guys!" Blaine said, finally calling it a night.

The rest of actors and actresses started to walk backstage to cool off and get their stuff, while Kurt just collapsed on stage like a heavy sack of potatoes.

"I think you'll have to carry me home." He said, closing his eyes and feeling every muscle of his body protesting for the excessive amount of effort he had put them through.

"You were fantastic."

"Thanks." Kurt said, smiling from the stage where he was still lying, pretending to be a motionless body. "You were too, director. This show is going to be amazing."

Blaine smiled broadly and went up the stage to sit next to Kurt.

"When you were rehearsing the beginning of the second act I thought about the lighting. Wouldn't be great if we could change the setting just with the lights?"

"Yeah…" Kurt replied absently. He was so tired that he was sure he could fall asleep at any moment now.

"You know what? I'm going to check that right away. I'll see if the lighting guy is still here...do you remember his name?"

"No…" Kurt replied, finally opening his eyes. The lights on the stage were still on, so he couldn't see beyond the flying system.

"It's alright...I'll see you backstage, okay?" Blaine said, leaning over and giving Kurt a quick kiss on the lips. "Go freshen up and I'll see you in a few." He added, standing up and walking away.

Kurt took a deep breath and, very reluctantly, walked backstage. The main dressing room had been assigned to him before the rehearsals began, and although his name was still not written on the door, someone had already labeled it.

"Thanks, guys!" Kurt yelled to thank whoever had put the small name tag.

He walked into his dressing room and exhaled loudly. The room was still empty—a perfect opportunity for Kurt to use his interior design skills and make this room his perfect sacred space for the next couple of months or years, or whatever time they allowed them to be there.

Kurt sat down on the stool placed in front of the mirror and began to wipe up the sweat that was still on his face. His eyelids were heavy and unaware, he dozed a bit. Opening his eyes only when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

"I'm awake." He said, to whoever had poked him.

But there was no one there. The room was empty.

Thinking he had just imagined the whole thing, Kurt resumed what he was doing before falling asleep and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. He was almost finishing when he felt someone watching him from the doorway.

Confused, Kurt turned around to see who it was, but no one was there. However, the door that he had left slightly ajar was now wide open. Frowning a little, Kurt tried to forget the incident with the door and started to look around the room. The gears in his mind were already working, trying to imagine all the stuff he would bring from home to make this place look fabulous. His mind wandered a bit until that feeling of being watched took over him again.

"Who's there?" He asked, but no one answered.

Uneasy, Kurt took his bag and his husband's, and went into the hall.

"Guys?" He asked, but the rest of the dressing rooms doors were already closed and there were no lights on. Apparently the rest of the actors and actresses had already left, so Kurt walked to the stage-door and waited for Blaine there.

Ten minutes later, there was still no sign of Blaine, so tired of waiting, Kurt walked toward the stage, where he could still see the traditional ghost light on, to try to find his husband.

"Blaine?" He said, scrunching his eyes a little to see through the blinding white light.

"Are you there?" He questioned, looking up in direction to the tech booth where he supposed his husband would be checking whatever he said about the lights.

"I'll meet you there." He said, because he could see the shape of a man standing inside the booth. Surely Blaine or the tech guy.

Determined, Kurt stepped off the stage and walked to the other side of the theater, where a door led to the tech booth and all the other rooms that were above the seats, including the closed apartments of the first owner of the theater.

o-o-o-o-o

Kurt still didn't know the theater well, so getting to the tech booth with nobody to give him directions turned out to be harder than he had first thought. He was turning around the same hallway for the third time when he nearly crashed into a man who was standing there.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Kurt exclaimed, stopping just in time and avoiding the collision. "I almost run into you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the man replied, there was a soft smile playing on his lips, "are you alright? Are you lost?"

Kurt nodded. "Kind of...I still don't know my way around the theater, this was our first rehearsal and I'm looking for my husband. He said he would be checking some stuff about the lights, so I guess that he's at the tech booth."

"Don't worry, I can take you there." The man said, motioning Kurt to follow him.

Together, they started to climb up some stairs. Meanwhile Kurt seized the opportunity to analyze a little the odd man that was walking beside him. He was old, there was no doubt about it, his hair was gray and a bit dusty. He was wearing a dark suit with what looked like a clerical collar, but what intrigued Kurt the most was not the clothes that the man was wearing, but the strange—and very strong—cigarette smell that seemed to be emanating from him.

"I saw you rehearsing." The man said, breaking the silence.

"You did?"

"Yes, I was at one of the balconies."

"Do you work here?" Kurt asked, out of curiosity. He already knew that the man worked in the theater, if not... _why was he there so late at night?_

"Something like that." The man replied. "You have a great voice."

"Thank you." Kurt said, blushing a little. He knew he had a great voice, but it was always flattering when someone else, who wasn't Blaine, pointed it out.

"And your husband is the director, right?"

"Yes, and he also wrote the book, music and lyrics." Kurt said all proud. He loved to gush about his super talented husband.

"Really?" The man asked, and Kurt just nodded. "Well, it's a very good show. I bet it's going to be very successful."

Kurt smiled.

"Well...here we are." The man said, pointing to the door they had in front of them. "The tech booth."

"Thanks, I guess I'll see you around, hmmm...?" Kurt hesitated. He didn't know the name of this man.

"Oh." The man exclaimed, realizing what Kurt was thinking. "You can call me David."

"Well, nice to meet you David, I'm Kurt." Kurt added, extending his arm to shake hands with the man, but the latter was already walking away.

"See you!" The man whispered, practically disappearing from view.

Kurt shrugged and after taking a deep breath, entered the booth. To his surprise the place was empty; the mixer, or whatever all those panels with thousands of buttons was called, was off and there was no sign that someone had been there recently.

Confused, Kurt walked out the booth and sighed loudly. Now, without David he had to find his way back to where he had left their bags. The theater was dark and there was no sign of anyone there.

"Perfect!" Kurt muttered darkly. He would have to learn the blueprints of this place, _pronto._

o-o-o-o-o

Ten minutes later, Kurt made it to the place where he had left their bags and fortunately, Blaine was already waiting for him.

"Where were you? I was trying to call you, but your phone is here." Blaine said, pointing to the bag where Kurt had previously left his phone.

"I was looking for you at the tech booth. I thought you would be there checking all those things you mentioned about lights."

"I was there but Carlos, that's the name of the guy, said that those lights were controlled from the right side of the theater so I went there instead."

"Oh, that explains everything. I got lost when I tried to get there, but someone helped me and then, well...it was not that hard to come down, it was easier than finding the right door when I was looking for you. This place is very confusing."

"It was designed like that," Blaine said, picking up their bags, "Carlos shared with me the stories of this place and although they scared me to death, I'm sure that you're going to love them."

Kurt, along with Blaine, started to make his way out of the theater while his husband shared what he had learned about the place where they would be enclosed for the next couple of months or years—it depended.

"The story says that since the owner's death in 1913 he's been a regular presence in his theater. People say that Belasco's ghost is seen a lot around the theater. Carlos told me that he's always wearing his characteristic clerical collar." Blaine said, and Kurt stopped in his tracks.

"A clerical collar?" He asked.

"Yep, and if that weren't enough, laughter, singing, and footsteps have been heard in his sealed off apartment, as have the sounds of his private elevator in use, although it's been dismantled for decades. He's also been spotted watching rehearsals from the balcony or some other parts of the theater, and rumor has it that the distinctive odor of his cigar is present where people encounter him."

Kurt stopped breathing. _It couldn't be, right?_

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, when he realized that Kurt looked paler than usual. "I thought I was the one who was afraid of ghost stories."

"I'm not afraid..." Kurt immediately said, because he was not. At least not yet. "What's the name of Mr. Belasco?"

"David...why?"

With that Kurt felt the blood draining from his body.

"Just curious…" He whispered, not wanting to scare his husband. Because even though he was not one hundred percent sure that the David with whom he had chatted a bit was the same David Belasco—the first owner of the theater—he couldn't put aside the fact that there were a lot of coincidences—the name, the clothing, and the distinctive odor. Maybe Blaine had been right all along and ghosts were, indeed, memories that somehow got caught and trapped in time.

"I think you need to eat something." Blaine said, noticing that the color hadn't returned to Kurt's cheeks. "Come on! Let's go eat something." He said, pulling Kurt with him.

"What else did Carlos tell you about the ghost?" Kurt asked.

"Just that if someone saw him it was considered a sign of good luck for the new productions. So hopefully Mr. Belasco will make an appearance before opening night. Although," Blaine said, finally closing the doors of the theater, "I'd rather it was not in front of me. I could die of a heart attack."

Kurt laughed a little with the irony of the situation. If only Blaine knew what had just happened.

"Don't worry, I don't think that-" He was saying when Blaine interrupted.

"I know, I know…" Blaine said, rolling his eyes. "You don't think that ghosts exist, but Carlos said there's proof of the sightings so…"

Kurt exhaled, _should he share what he saw with his husband?_

"Let's go home, okay?" Kurt said, deciding it was not the right time. He didn't even start to understand what had happened inside that theater himself. To his defense he was still a bit drowsy with all the exercise he did.

Blaine nodded, and while they were making their way across the street and away from the Belasco, Kurt could have sworn he heard one of the songs they had rehearsed being replayed inside the theater.

"Did you hear that?" He asked to Blaine.

"What?" Blaine asked confused.

"The song..."

"What song?"

"Never mind..."

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked worried.

"Yeah, I'm just tired...let's go home, okay?"

From now on Kurt would never, ever, make fun of Blaine again for fearing the paranormal. After all, he had just met David Belasco, the owner of the theater who had died more than 100 years ago. And if the stories about him were true, and despite the unsettling sensation he had about the encounter, it was a good omen for them. The man had told him that their show was good and Kurt could live with that. He knew he could.

Maybe he didn't have an explanation for what had happened inside the Belasco, but now that he thought about it, it didn't matter because, _what were ghosts if not the hope that life continued beyond our ordinary senses?_ If ghosts were a delusion as Kurt had been saying all these years, then he would gladly be deluded as long as he was granted a life after life with the man walking beside him.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading my nonsense ;) Hope you liked it. And if you're curious, the stories Blaine shared with Kurt about the Belasco's ghost are pretty popular. For years actors and actresses have reported sights and sounds that they can't explain. Obviously that has led people to come up with a lot of stories about ghosts and stuff. However, rumor has it that Belasco's spirit stopped appearing after 'Oh! Calcuta!' was performed on stage. Apparently he was taken aback by the full-frontal nudity in the production XD**

 **Anyway, true or not, it's fun to read and people say he's a very friendly ghost so hopefully he's still around ;)**

 **Thanks again and happy Halloween!**


End file.
